Holding Back The Flood
by SophieWofy
Summary: What happens when Nita finds out how Warren has been treating Kirsty? And how will this affect her relationship with Adam?
1. Creep

Tonight was different from most nights. Kirsty knew that as soon as she stepped through the door and saw the state her husband was in. Not so much angry, more... she couldn't explain it. He was frustrated, but calm at the same time. She couldn't read him, and it worried her.

Once Warren had thrown her phone against the wall, smashing it into pieces, she knew something bad had happened. That'd have to be yet another call to Vodafone, explaining why for the third time in six months she needed to freeze her contract and order a new sim card. She had a stash of old handsets in her room, which was just as well, the rate she seemed to get through them.

The phone destroyed, Warren came towards her, his breathing ragged. He gave her a shove against the fridge, the magnets digging against her back as she fell.

"Who is he?" he breathed into her face. He stank of alcohol, and Kirsty flinched for a second. _Wrong move. _He slapped her across her cheek. "Look at me when I'm talking to you."

"So-sorry."

"Right. Now, who is he?"

"Ju-just a guy at work."

"Who signs off texts with kisses?"

"He does that with everyone."

Warren pulled back and mimicked a high-pitched voice. "_Kirsty, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have let it happen. Adam._" He grabbed the toaster from the side, ripping the plug from the socket and dropped it onto Kirsty's feet. It was all she could do not to scream out. "Who's Adam?"

"He's a doctor. He's just a friend, that's all."

"What happened earlier?"

"Ju- just some problems with a patient. We-we disagreed about how to deal with him."

"Liar!" Warren grabbed Kirsty by the shoulders and spun her around, pushing her face first against the wall with one arm held in a lock behind her back. "You know what happens to liars, don't you?" He gave her arm a wrench, and her cry was stifled by the wall.

"Please," she begged, close to tears. This was new, even for Warren. Something must have ticked him off. Why had she decided leaving her phone at home was a good idea? She should have known he would have looked through her messages, and although she was careful to always delete anything incriminating, anything that had been sent today obviously hadn't been intercepted. What else had Adam sent her following their kiss?

"Please what?"

"Please let me go."

"Not good enough." Warren forced her to her knees, her face grating along the radiator. "You weren't saying that to Adam when you were shagging him."

"We weren't-"

"What did I say about liars?" Warren wrenched her arm harder, and she bit her lip. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and she felt sick. "You're mine, you know that? Nobody else is allowed to touch you. To _fuck_ you." He spat the word out, and Kirsty dreaded what was going to come next. Surely he couldn't stoop as low as that?

Warren pulled Kirsty backwards, causing a sharp pain to shoot down her spine as she ended up, sprawled on her back on the kitchen floor. Her head caught against the table leg and her vision blurred, but she was fully conscious of Warren raining down blow after kick after blow. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the stream of abuse. Usually he was careful to hurt her where nobody could see. Not tonight.

"Mum!"

Kirsty's eyes shot open. Fourteen year old Nita was standing in the doorway, dressed in her pyjamas and seemingly unable to move.

"Go upstairs, darling." There was pain in Kirsty's voice as she called out; she was desperate for the ordeal to be over, and the last thing she wanted was Nita witnessing it.

"No." Warren turned to face her. "Come here and see what a whore your mother really is."

Nita shook in the doorway, and took a tentative step forward. "Dad, please. Stop it, you're hurting Mum."

"Like she doesn't deserve it. She's been shagging another man. She needs to learn her lesson."

"Not like this. This is wrong! You're...you're..." Unable to form the words, Nita burst into tears.

"Stop your whinging. She deserves it. Or do you want me to punish you as well?"

Something inside Kirsty snapped at that moment, and she summoned all her energy to push Warren off of her. She got to her feet unsteadily, feeling dizzy from the blow to her head, and the pain searing through her feet from the toaster 'accident'. She began to run, grabbing Nita's hand and leading her to the front door. "Come on!"

"Get back here!" Warren chased after them, but Kirsty and Nita kept running, hand in hand and tears streaming down their faces, until they reached where Kirsty had brought them. She thumped on the front door, calling through the letterbox.

"Adam! Adam, open the door. I need you to let me in."

The door opened, and Adam stood there, a towel wrapped around his waist and dripping water from his hair. "Kirsty? What the hell's happened? Come on in, both of you."

Kirsty shut the door behind her once she and Nita were inside and bolted the lock. Only then did she catch sight of herself in the hallway mirror. She looked a right state, with blood matted into her hair and onto her checked shirt. It was one of her favourites, but it was ruined now. Nita's feet were covered in blood from running barefoot through the streets.

"Kirsty?" Adam repeated, and it was all it took. She fell into his arms, sobbing. Nita stood there, watching and crying, and he outstretched an arm to her, too. The three stood there, crying and consoling, with nobody willing to make any move otherwise.

Eventually, Kirsty pulled away. "Can I use your bathroom?"

Adam nodded. "Top of the stairs, first on the left. Ignore the mess, I was mid-shower when you arrived."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I'd better go put some clothes on; anyone would think I was trying to come onto you dressed like this."

Kirsty paled at this, her eyes glassing over and muscles freezing up. No. She had been the one doing all the chasing. It was her mess, her fault. She couldn't blame Adam for any of this.

"You weren't." She ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and locked herself into the bathroom. Crouching over the toilet, she threw up. Even thinking about what Warren did to her made her want to kill him. The worst was that Nita had seen exactly what her own father was capable of. Kirsty couldn't look her in the eye because of the shame she felt. She'd made out she was strong, could hold her own against her husband, when the reality was she was too weak to stop him taking advantage of her.

A tap on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Mum?"

Nita. Despite Kirsty's shame and self-hatred, she knew she had to pull it together for her daughter's sake. Things were going to be tough for both of them, and while Kirsty was old enough to deal with all the shit life threw at her, Nita was still only a child.

Kirsty opened the door and took one look at her daughter. "I'm so sorry, love," she whispered, pulling her tight into a hug. "You should never have seen that."

"He was hitting you," Nita sobbed. "Is that why you've been so horrible to him?"

Kirsty nodded. She was going to have to come clean now; she'd gone too long lying through her teeth to Nita, but it was impossible to paper it over now she had seen firsthand what Warren was capable of. "I couldn't deal with it."

"This- this wasn't the first time he hurt you?"

"Not like that, but it's been going on for a while. I didn't think he'd ever hurt you, but I couldn't be sure. I put up with it just in case. You will always come first, know that." Kirsty kissed Nita's forehead, brushing wisps of tangled hair out of her face with her fingers.

Nita just sobbed harder against Kirsty's chest. "Wha- what's going to happen now?"

"I don't know. We'll stay here tonight, and I'll sort something out in the morning. I'll call your school and tell them you're ill; and I'll phone in sick to work as well. I promise you I'll fix things, though."

"How?" Adam was in the doorway, dressed in a baggy red t-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms. "I heard your conversation, sorry."

Kirsty screwed her face up, trying to work out how to get out of this one. "I'll sleep on it. You know me, I always come up with something."

"I don't know you; that's just it. Why didn't you tell me Warren was abusing you?"

Kirsty shook her head. "It's not the sort of thing you bring up in everyday conversation, is it? _What did you do this weekend, Kirsty? Oh, my husband slapped me and threw hot gravy over me because it was too thin. What about you?"_

"Stop it!" Nita shouted suddenly, breaking free of Kirsty's hold. "Stop acting like it's so normal. Stop pretending what he did to you didn't happen. You've got to face it, Mum. Adam's right. Dad was abusing you."

Kirsty looked down at the tiled floor. She couldn't bring herself to say the word, despite knowing it was true. Finally, and with tears falling freely once more, she nodded.

Adam ran his hands through his hair. "Oh, Kirsty. I'm sorry."

"It's not like you could have stopped him. He saw your texts."

"Shit." Silence. "Are you going to the police?"

"They'll arrest him, take him to court and I'll have to relive it all again. I just want to forget all about it and move on."

"But it's not your decision to make." Adam's eyes moved from Kirsty to Nita. "Is it?"

Kirsty turned to her daughter. Adam was right; she wasn't going to be the one calling the shots here. That much was obvious. "Nita, love? I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"I want it all to go back to normal," Nita whispered. "But it can't, so I want Dad not to be able to hurt you anymore."

Kirsty nodded. "Alright. I'll call the police."

It wasn't until the morning she actually made the phone call, however. She and Nita spent the night in Adam's double bed, with him on the sofa. He had given Kirsty a shirt and shorts to sleep in that were the smallest he had, but still too big for her frame. Nita, of course, had her own pyjamas on, and Adam cleaned her feet while Kirsty changed. Nobody got a lot of sleep that night; both mother and daughter were plagued by nightmares of the evening's events, and Adam's mind was racked with guilt.

Kirsty stumbled out of bed at seven. Nita was sleeping, and she didn't want to wake her daughter, so she pulled the duvet back over her before heading downstairs. Adam was already in the kitchen, making breakfast.

"Morning." He looked up from the cooker as Kirsty walked in. "How did you sleep?"

"Sleep? Lying awake trying not to remember, more like."

"Oh." Adam stepped forward with his arms out, but Kirsty rebuffed the hug. She turned away, looking down.

"Don't."

"Sorry."

They ate in silence, not making eye contact until a scream from upstairs startled them. Both dropped their food and stood up.

"Nita!"

Kirsty ran up the stairs, calling her daughter's name. "Nita, darling, it's alright. I'm here." The teenager was sitting up in bed, sobbing hysterically. Kirsty sat down and held her close, stroking her hair and whispering soothing words. "It's alright. I've got you."

"I thought-" Nita stammered through her tears. "I thought he'd found us, and got you."

Kirsty shook her head. "I just went downstairs for breakfast, that's all. He won't hurt us again." She used her hand to wipe away Nita's tears. "Come on; let's get something to eat." She moved off the bed and let Nita get up. The girl was soaked in sweat, and Kirsty felt guilty for putting her through such an ordeal.

"Can I have a shower please?" she asked quietly.

"Of course." Adam, again, was in the doorway.

Kirsty turned around. "Will you please stop doing that? You're starting to freak me out."

"Sorry. But go ahead and shower, and if you want something clean to wear, go through my wardrobe."

Nita selected a pair of jeans and a print t-shirt that was the most feminine one she could find. She felt strange putting on a pair of Adam's clean boxer shorts, but Kirsty reassured her it was alright. She wasn't going to shower herself; as much as she wanted to step in and scrub herself clean, her nursing training took over. Washing would destroy any DNA evidence on her body, and if she was going to go through with reporting what Warren did to her, she wanted to be certain of a positive outcome.

While Nita showered, Kirsty made the phone calls to the hospital and Nita's school. The line she used was that they had both come down with food poisoning, and were being violently sick. Tess wasn't happy to be a nurse down, but there was nothing she could do about it. Once the calls were made, she had one more to do. The police.

Her hand hovered over the dial button. It was so easy not to call; to pretend it hadn't happened, but Kirsty wasn't going to let Warren get away with hurting her again. No. She had to ring; put aside her personal fears and put Nita's well-being at the centre of this.

"Hello? I'd like to report a- an assault."


	2. Karma Police

_A/N Thanks for reading and reviewing the first chapter. I really do appreciate it._

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The police arrived as Adam left for work. Despite repeatedly offering to call in sick as well, Kirsty was adamant he went in, keeping his mouth shut about the real reason for her absence. She didn't think she could deal with him breathing down her neck throughout the interview; it was bad enough having to do it as it was. She didn't want him knowing what she had been putting up with, either. It would rip him apart.

Letting the police in, she was shocked to recognise one of the officers who had arrived at the house.

"Elliot Bartlet? I didn't know you were a policeman. You hated the cops when we were kids."

"Kirsty Jackson? Well I never." He embraced her in a hug, a smile crossing both their faces. "I didn't expect to see you here. It's been, what, twenty years?"

"Clements, now. And something like that. You haven't met my daughter, have you? Nita, this is Elliot. We were best friends at primary school, then this fool moved to London when we were fifteen."

Nita nodded. "Hi," she whispered.

Elliot sat down next to Kirsty on the sofa. "So what happened?"

Kirsty shrugged. "I met a guy, got pregnant, got married. Fourteen years down the line, he started hitting me."

"Bastard."

Nita flinched at the word, and Kirsty put an arm around her. "Ell's a good guy," she whispered. "He just swears too much. At least, he did when we were kids, and it seems like he hasn't changed much." She knew she was being too flippant, but it was her way of coping.

Elliot laughed, overhearing. "Yeah. I do swear too much. Sorry." He looked across to his colleague. "This is Fiona Bracknall, a police liaison officer."

Fiona leant across to shake Kirsty's hand. "Mrs Clements. I'm going to need to take you down to the police station later, if that's alright."

Nita's face paled. "You're not going to hurt my mum, are you?"

Fiona shook her head. "Don't worry. You might want to go to your room for a bit, though, while we ask her a few questions."

"It's not our house. It's Adam's. And I want to stay here."

"It's alright," Kirsty explained to the liaison officer. "Nita, uh, was a witness. She knows what happened; I'm fine with her being here." She was shaking as she spoke, though, and Elliot squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"That means she'll have to be interviewed separately. If we go down to the police station now, we can do it there. Is that alright with you?"

Kirsty looked to Nita. "Darling?"

"I want to stay with you."

"You're going to have to be brave for a while, sweetheart. I'm not sure they're going to let me stay with you while they talk to you, but I promise you I'll be waiting when you come out." Kirsty looked to Elliot for reassurance. "That's right, isn't it?"

Elliot nodded. "Your mum's spot on. I'll stay with you instead, if you like. I promise I won't swear."

Nita stared at him for a moment, uncertain. "Really?"

"Really. Plus I've got a few embarrassing stories about your mum you might like to hear."

Kirsty rolled her eyes. "I know a few about you as well. Like the time you got upset because you rode over a snail on your bike and killed it."

Somehow, Elliot being here made things a whole lot easier to handle. Even knowing why he was here, with the memory of Warren's assault fresh in her mind, she could cope. He was her oldest friend, and although they hadn't seen each other in years, the connection was still there. She could, and would, trust him with anything, including her daughter.

"I was six years old," Elliot protested. He stood up and put his hat on, covering his spiky black hair completely. Kirsty remembered when he had first started spiking it up, not long after they started high school. "Shall we go?"

The banter continued on the journey, with Nita becoming increasingly more relaxed around the man her mother seemed to know so well. Fiona didn't say a lot, just drove, and they arrived at the police station talking about sneaking into clubs underage.

It was in the police station that Kirsty began to panic. Elliot and Nita went into a different room to talk, leaving Kirsty with Fiona. Something nagged her to turn around and go. She wasn't strong enough to do this.

Something snapped inside her as she sat down on the sofa. The room was brightly decorated and spacious, which was obviously designed to relax victims of crime as much as possible. No. She wasn't a victim. She wouldn't allow herself to be. Warren had worn her down, but she was ready to fight him. She was strong. She would have to be, for Nita's sake. She was going to do this for her daughter.

"Kirsty?" Fiona's voice cut into her thoughts, and Kirsty turned.

"I'm ready."


	3. Denial

_A/N: Thanks for all the responses, I'm glad you're liking it. As my uni's been shut due to the weather I've been able to write a longer chapter today. :) _

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The interview didn't go as badly as Kirsty had thought it would. Her new-found determination saw her get through it without breaking down, and both Fiona and the other policewoman present, a detective named Vivien, voiced how impressed they were with how Kirsty dealt with it. The main thing, though, that had got her through it was Nita. She requested to see her as soon as they were finished, and Fiona went to fetch her.

"You did well there." Vivien sat down next to Kirsty and smiled at her.

The door opened and Nita ran in, followed by Elliot. He had changed out of his police uniform into jeans and a t-shirt, showing off the fact that he obviously worked out. Kirsty couldn't help but be impressed by the transformation from weedy teenager into muscular man.

"Mum!" Nita threw her arms around Kirsty. "Mum, it was horrible. I didn't want to talk about what happened, but I had to. But Elliot said Dad's going to get arrested, which means we can go home, doesn't it?"

Kirsty nodded. "If that's what you want to do, sweetheart." She looked up at Elliot, and mouthed 'thank you.'

"I'll leave you to it, shall I?" Elliot asked.

"Stay." Simultaneously Kirsty and Nita spoke.

"Alright." Elliot let out a small laugh. "If I'm that popular." He walked over to the sofa and sat down. "I've finished my shift for the night, so I can stay as long as you want me to."

"Will you drive us home?"

Elliot nodded. "If that's what you want."

"Yeah. I just want to get out of here, to be honest. If you've got nothing else to do, that is. I don't mind getting a taxi."

"No, I'll take you." Elliot stood up. "I wish we'd been reunited under better circumstances, that's all."

"Now you get to play the knight in shining armour properly for once." Kirsty laughed softly. "I was too headstrong as a kid; never let you rescue me. Funny how times change."

Elliot's car was parked out in the staff area. Kirsty felt self-conscious as she walked through it, wondering what the other police officers were thinking of her. Nita clung onto her hand; she had reverted to the anxiety of a six year old, but Kirsty knew it was out of fear rather than attention-seeking. Making out everything had been alright between herself and Warren had, in hindsight, been a bad idea. At least Nita would have known what to expect.

Although it was impossible to expect what had happened. Kirsty had known Warren had a temper, but until last night she hadn't thought he could be that violent. At one point she was convinced he was going to rape her. Now she was left questioning whether she even knew the man she had once loved.

She navigated the way to the house, but Elliot stopped the car halfway up the road. The reasoning became clear when a police car drove past them, Warren in the back seat.

"They've arrested him?" Nita asked quietly.

Kirsty nodded, and squeezed her daughter's hand. "He won't be coming home."

"You don't know for sure."

"What?" Kirsty leant forward at Elliot's words. "But- he can't! I can't see him. Not now. I want him gone." Her breathing quickened and her hands clammed up. She couldn't face seeing Warren again. How was it not as easy as him staying in jail and out of her house?

Elliot turned around in his seat and took Kirsty's hands in his. "Listen to me. I promise I will make everything right for you as best as I can, but I still have to stick to the law."

"How? How can everything be alright? You know what happened; you know what he did to me."

"And I wish to God it hadn't. I wish I'd taken the opportunity to tell you twenty years ago."

"Tell me what?"

"I love you. I always have, Kirsty Jackson. I've never had a long term relationship; I knew when we were teenagers you were who I wanted to be with, but then I moved away. I chickened out of telling you in case you didn't feel the same way."

Kirsty stared at him. "I- I don't- why now? Why do you have to tell me this now? My life's as messed up as you can get right now without this to add to it." She pulled her hand away. "Come on Nita, we're going inside. Bye, Elliot."

Nita didn't move as Kirsty opened the car door. "Give him a chance, Mum."

"What do you mean?"

"He's a nice guy, and he's not going to hurt you like Dad did."

Elliot reached out a hand. "Kirst, please. For old time's sake? We were best friends, I'd like to think we still are."

Kirsty finally relented. "I could do with a friendly face." She put her hand in her pocket and closed her fist around her keys. Thankfully she'd put them back in her pocket after letting herself in the previous evening, otherwise she'd have a problem now.

Elliot parked the car properly while Kirsty unlocked the house. He joined her inside, and was instantly taken aback by how neat it was. Family photos from happier times decorated the walls, but Kirsty couldn't look at them. She led Elliot through to the kitchen, almost throwing up at the sight of her own blood on the floor.

"Don't," Elliot warned as Kirsty went to clean it up. "It's evidence."

"I can't touch my own things?"

Elliot shook his head. "Not yet. I don't think you'll be able to stay here for a few days; it depends on the charges against Warren. Whose house were you at before?"

"Adam's. But I can't stay there. I...messed things up between us last night."

"What about your parents?"

"Emigrated to Canada."

"Did they?" Elliot was wide-eyed at this. "I know they always wanted to, but I didn't think they ever would."

"Sold up when Dad retired and moved out there two years ago."

"Oh. Well, if you've got nowhere to stay, you can kip at mine, but I warn you, it's only a small place."

"What about your family?"

"Single. Though I've got a double bed, you and Nita can have that and I'll take the sofa."

Kirsty laughed. "That's exactly what Adam said last night." She turned to Nita. "Go upstairs and get your stuff together." The teenager nodded and headed upstairs, leaving Kirsty and Elliot alone. "This doesn't mean anything, ok?"

"Whatever you say. Hadn't you better go get your stuff as well?"

Kirsty and Elliot went upstairs, and while Kirsty threw clothes into a suitcase, Elliot sat on her bed, talking. Despite the years without seeing each other, they reconnected immediately, and Kirsty felt more at ease than she had done in a long time. With Warren, she had to be careful not to spark one of his mood swings; with Adam, she had to stop herself giving off the wrong signals. With Elliot, however, she felt young again.

Kirsty pulled open the bottom drawer to reveal the selection of mobile handsets. Some were old ones belonging to herself and Warren, and others were cheap ones she'd picked up as a replacement. She had a couple of pay as you go sim cards tucked away as well, and she popped one into the back of the most modern phone she could find.

"What happened to your phone?"

Kirsty replied without even looking up. "Warren smashed it."

"Oh."

"Can I bring my laptop?" Nita came into the room with her bag crammed full of clothes.

"You're not to sit on Facebook all day, though, you hear me? I've told your school you're ill."

Nita nodded. "Thanks."

"She seems to have perked up a bit," Elliot remarked as Nita left the room.

Kirsty nodded. "She thought I was being unreasonably horrible to Warren, on the borderline of her hating me. I guess it's taken this to make her see sense."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Mind games. Men like him are like that."

"Men like him?"

Elliot shuffled his feet and looked at the carpet. "You know what I mean."

"Do I?"

"You know, who..." He trailed off, knowing he was digging himself into a deeper hole. "Bullies."

Kirsty sat down on the bed, head in hands. "How the hell did I let it get to this?

Elliot shuffled over and put a reassuring arm around her. "That doesn't matter. All that matters is that it's over."

"But it's not, though. I've got the bloody court case now, if it goes to that. I've got to move out of my own home."

"It won't be for long. I'll sort something out; he'll be given a banning order stopping him going near you, and most likely Nita as well. You'll be able to move back here in a couple of days."

Kirsty nodded, unconvinced. She stood up and picked up her suitcase, taking it into the hallway. "Nita, have you got everything?"

Nita came out of her room with her laptop bag over one shoulder and a rucksack over the other. She had a small sports holdall in her hand. "I think so."

"Right, let's go." Kirsty led the way down the stairs, dragging the bag behind her. She didn't look back as she walked down the driveway towards Elliot's car.

He lived only a ten minute drive from Kirsty's house; incidentally, just three roads from Nita's school. Now she had no excuse for not going in tomorrow. They pulled up outside and Elliot helped carry all Kirsty and Nita's belongings inside.

Elliot's house wasn't the biggest in the road, but it had a nice feeling about it. Kirsty sensed this as soon as she stepped inside. It looked like a typical bachelor pad in places, with a topless calendar pinned to the kitchen wall and empty beer cans stacked up in the windowsill, beginning to form the bottom few layers of a pyramid.

"Make yourself at home," Elliot explained, setting the suitcase down in the hallway. "I'm just going to change the sheets; I doubt you'll want to sleep in the same ones I've been using."

Kirsty put on a thoughtful expression. "Let me see. You're male, single, and you've probably got a TV in your room. So I'm going with no."

Elliot feigned shock. "Well, if that's how you want to play things, Johnson, I'm willing to play like that as well." Without warning, he grabbed Kirsty under the arms and began to tickle her. She squealed and tried to push him off, and they fell onto the sofa.

"What's going on?" Nita walked into the room, laptop in hand.

Kirsty poked her head up under Elliot's arm. "We were just messing around. Is everything alright, love?"

Nita nodded. "I just wanted to ask where the cable for the internet is. Lily texted me saying can I come online, and I said I'd try. But it seems you two are busy."

Kirsty sat up. "It's not what it looks like."

"Isn't it? Because I'm starting to wonder if Dad might have been right; that you were cheating on him."

Kirsty stood up and walked over to Nita. She went to put an arm around her, but the teenager brushed it off. "I promise you, I wasn't cheating on him. Not with Adam, not with Elliot, not with anyone."

Nita stared her out. "Really?"

"Really."

Nita nodded, but there was a look on her face that said she was still unconvinced. "Where's the internet?" she repeated.

"Go into the front room, and there's the wireless box by the phone. Just switch it on. If you need a plug socket there's one down there as well."

"Thanks." Nita left the room, and Kirsty sat down.

"What was that about?" Elliot asked.

Kirsty shrugged. "She's always been a daddy's girl. I guess last night hit her hard. Oh, and you called me Johnson. That's not my name anymore."

Elliot laughed. "Oh, you'll always be Kirsty Johnson to me."

"But that's just it. I'm not, now. Like it or hate it, I'm married. I've got Nita to look after as well. We're not little kids anymore."

Elliot nodded. "I guess I can dream though, right? I'd better get some food on, I don't know about you but I'm starving."

Kirsty realised how hungry she was and nodded. Nita had to be wanting food as well, although she hadn't said anything. "Yeah. That'd be great, thanks."

After Elliot got up to cook for the three of them, Kirsty took a walk into the front room. Nita was sat at the table with her laptop plugged in and chatting away with her friend via webcam. Kirsty leant against the door, not wanting to disturb her daughter.

"Yeah, I'm at my mum's mate's house. It's taken you how long to realise there's different wallpaper?"

"Well, I thought you might have decorated." Kirsty recognised the voice as belonging to Lily, one of Nita's childhood friends who had moved to Scotland last year. The two girls regularly talked online and Nita had attempted to persuade Kirsty and Warren to take her up to Scotland in the summer holidays. It seemed that trip wasn't going to happen now. She smiled. At least Nita was currently happy.

Kirsty returned to the kitchen. "Can I use your phone for a minute, please?"

"Sure," Elliot agreed, putting his hand in his pocket and throwing it towards Kirsty. "Catch."

Kirsty caught it. "Thanks. I just want to let Adam know we're alright."

"Sure thing. Take as long as you want, it's no problem."

Dialling Adam's number from memory, Kirsty sat down on the bottom step. She was surprised he picked up almost instantly.

"Hello?"

"Adam, hey, it's me. I jus-"

"Kirsty! Where are you? We've been trying to get hold of you for the past half hour."

Kirsty's face furrowed at his words. "I'm at a friend's. My mobile's broken, so I've borrowed his. What's wrong?"

"You haven't spoken to anyone else?"

"No. They all think I'm sick with food poisoning. Adam, you're worrying me now. What's happened?"

There was silence on the end of the line before Adam spoke again. "A man died in an RTC about an hour ago. It was instantaneous, there's nothing more we could do. I'm so sorry, Kirsty."

"Warren?" Kirsty could only manage a whisper. She didn't want to hear Adam's response, but it came in the affirmative. She dropped the phone and screamed.


	4. Unspoken

At Kirsty's scream, both Elliot and Nita came rushing to the hallway.

"What's wrong?" Elliot asked, sitting down beside her and putting an arm around the hysterical woman.

"Warren." Kirsty eventually managed to calm down enough to say. "He's- he's dead!"

Nita stared at her. "No. You're lying." She bent down and picked up the phone. "Hello? This is Nita, who am I speaking to and why did you tell my mum that my dad's dead?" As Adam spoke on the other end, Nita's expression went from confused to angry. "No!" she shouted, throwing the phone against the wall and breaking the battery cover off. "No, he can't be dead. I want to go and see him. Take me to see him. We can go in your car, Elliot. We can go home and see Dad and he'll still be alive. We've got to."

Kirsty shook her head and held out a hand to her daughter. "I'm sorry, love."

Nita rebuffed the gesture. "You don't care about him. If you did, you would have worked things out and not ran away last night."

"I was scared he was going to hurt you as well." Tears poured down Kirsty's cheeks as she relived the last moment she saw her husband alive. She had been running, petrified and battered, from more abuse. That just about summed up their sham of a marriage up. Running. Always running, whether from each other or the truth or society.

Nita shook her head. "You knew he'd never hurt me."

Deep down, Kirsty knew that was the truth. She and Warren had only stayed together for Nita's sake. If they hadn't had a kid together, she knew she would have left as soon as the abuse started. She wasn't one for taking nonsense, but at the same time she knew there was no way she would be able to abandon her daughter.

"I never knew he'd hurt me like that, either." Kirsty's voice broke as she spoke, the words coming out scarcely more than a whisper. She staggered to her feet, using the banister for support, and walked over to Nita. "Please, darling."

"I want to see him," Nita repeated. "He's my dad."

Kirsty nodded. She knew she'd have to confirm Warren's body at some point, anyway. She turned to Elliot. "Take us to the hospital."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Just take us, please." Kirsty bent down to pick up Elliot's phone, sliding the battery cover back on and turning it on again. She had been scared when Nita had thrown it; that was one of Warren's signals that more abuse would be coming. The phone out of the way, Kirsty would have no escape. For a flash of a second, she had seen Warren in her daughter's behaviour, and the very thought she was going to turn out like him terrified her more than anything.

Elliot fetched his keys from the kitchen, turning off the half-cooked dinner. He opened the front door and unlocked the car. Kirsty climbed into the front seat in an almost robotic fashion, sitting in silence while she waited for him to drive. Nita was in the back, still voicing her denial about her father's death.

It wasn't far to the hospital, and they pulled up in Kirsty's usual spot in the car park. She got out of the car and walked into the Emergency Department, completely forgetting she was supposed to be ill with food poisoning.

"Feeling better, are you?" Tess asked coldly, approaching her. Kirsty ignored her and walked past, heading towards the reception and her eyes scanning for Adam. He had to be somewhere. "Kirsty, I'm talking to you."

Kirsty spun around. "I don't have food poisoning. I lied so I didn't have to come in today like this." She pulled up her t-shirt revealing her stomach, which was completely covered in bruises. "And before you ask, yes, it was Warren who gave this to me. And now he's dead."

"Whoa, Kirst." Adam approached her from behind and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Warren?"

"They've taken him downstairs."

Kirsty nodded. The mortuary. She began to walk towards the lift, not caring if Nita, Elliot or anyone else was following her. She pressed the button for the lift and the door opened immediately. Nita and Elliot stepped inside, and they were about to go down when Adam's hand held the door open. He stepped in.

"I hope you don't mind me coming with you."

Kirsty shrugged.

Nita turned to Adam. "Is my dad really dead?"

Adam avoided eye contact with the teenager as he nodded. "I'm so sorry."

Nita balled her fists up and began to thump them against Adam's chest. "You did this to him. If you hadn't texted Mum then Dad wouldn't have got angry and we wouldn't have run away last night. He wouldn't have got arrested or died. It's your fault, and I hate you!"

Adam took Nita's hands and pulled her close to his chest as the door opened to the basement. "Shh, yeah? Deep breaths, that's it. Good girl." He coaxed her out of the lift and onto the basement floor. The cold instantly hit the foursome, and Nita shivered in Adam's arms. He held her tightly, stopping her from lashing out further.

Kirsty pushed open the door to the mortuary. Warren was lying face-up on the bed, his eyes shut. He looked peaceful; sleeping. She couldn't draw her eyes away from him. Although she hated him, she couldn't believe that he was dead. How was she going to cope? She had a teenage daughter to look after, and that wasn't going to be easy on her own, not with a full-time job.

"That's him," she whispered.

Elliot slipped his hand into Kirsty's. "It'll be alright," he said quietly.

Something inside Kirsty snapped, and she turned to him. "How? How can it be? Warren's dead." She leant against the wall, hands tugging furiously at her hair. "He's bloody dead. I never wanted this to happen." She slumped down onto the floor, face buried in her knees as she sobbed.

"Mum?" Nita said softly as she sat down next to Kirsty, putting an arm around her. "Mum, don't cry. We'll be alright, me and you. That's what Dad would want."

Kirsty didn't know what else to do. She just nodded, clinging tightly to Nita and holding her daughter against her chest, sobbing into her hair. Words were too hard to come by, and she didn't care that both Adam and Elliot were watching her. Warren was dead. What was she going to do now?

Adam crouched down beside her. "Kirst? I've got to get back upstairs now, but I'll come and see you later, ok?"

Kirsty reached out to him, her hand gripping his arm tightly. "Don't go."

"I've got to. You've got Elliot to look after you, anyway."

"But I want you here." Kirsty couldn't say all that she wanted to tell Adam. That she felt safe in his arms, in his presence. That she and Elliot would never be anything more than good friends, they had known each other for far too long for her to even consider it. That he was the only reason she went to work in the morning, and missed him on the days where he was off. But the words didn't come, and instead her pain-filled eyes met his.

Eventually he nodded, and sat down. "Ok," he told her. "I'm not going anywhere."


	5. Under Pressure

_Thanks to everyone who's been following this, especially Hannan Louise and Meggi - your reviews mean a lot.  
_

* * *

They sat in the mortuary until time seemed to slip away, and a gentle chill set into their bodies. Nita shook in Kirsty's arms, and was the first to break the silence.

"I'm cold."

"Shall we go upstairs? It's warmer up there, and I can make you a cup of coffee or something."

Nita nodded. "I'd like that. Mum?"

Kirsty didn't respond.

"Mum?" Nita pressed, shaking her arm. "I'm going with Adam. Are you coming?"

Kirsty got to her feet, her eyes still fixed on Warren's body. She stumbled towards the door, and Adam grabbed her hand so she didn't fall.

"Whoa, Kirst."

Kirsty ignored him, taking Nita's hand in hers. She wasn't going to leave her daughter; she couldn't bear to let her out of her sight at the moment.

Back on the ED floor, Adam took Kirsty, Nita and Elliot into the staff room. It was unusually empty, and he shut both the door and the blinds. Kirsty sat down on the sofa, curling around a cushion with her feet up.

"What are you going to do?" Elliot asked her as Adam put the kettle on.

Kirsty shrugged.

"Well, you're not staying on your own tonight, that's for sure." Adam turned around. "You can stay at my place or at Elliot's, I don't mind, as long as you've got someone with you."

Kirsty nodded, again not voicing a response.

"Mum, talk to him," Nita begged. "Adam's trying to help you; you can't keep shutting him out."

Another nod. "Adam," she breathed.

Adam came over and crouched down beside her. "I'm here," he reassured her, taking her hand in his.

Kirsty leant her head on Adam's shoulder. "Don't leave me." There was a knock on the staffroom door, and she looked up. "Who is it?"

Adam stood up and opened the door. "Tess."

"Is Kirsty in there?"

"Yes, but-"

"I just want to talk to her." Tess entered the staffroom and came over to the sofa. She sat down beside Kirsty. "I'm sorry about Warren."

Kirsty turned to her. "Why? What have you got to be sorry for? You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No, bu-"

"Well, then. I'm fed up of everyone being sorry for me. I just want everything to be normal, but it won't be. It'll never be normal again." She stood up. "I want to go home. Take me home."

With Tess on one side of her and Elliot on the other, and Adam on the floor, she felt at her most vulnerable. There was nowhere to hide, and despite her steely resolve she liked people to see, the mask had fallen to reveal nothing more than a fragile little girl desperate to make sense of the mess her life was in.

Nita had been sitting on the other end of the sofa in silence, but she spoke up. "How did my dad die?"

Tess turned to her. "There was a car accident."

"He's not supposed to drive, though. Mum told him not to, while he's ill."

"Ill?" Tess echoed.

"He thinks he's got ME, but it's not been diagnosed." It was Kirsty who filled Tess in moments before running out of the staff room, her hand over her mouth. She felt as if she was going to throw up, but couldn't do it there. She pushed past her friends and colleages, ignoring their concerned calls of her name, until she stumbled into the disabled toilet and threw up over the bowl.

She had just talked about Warren as if he was still alive. That was stupid. She'd just seen concrete proof that he wasn't. Nita had done the exact same thing, and Kirsty had spoken in the present tense out of habit. But now she couldn't ever do that again. She was going to have to consciously modify her speech when talking about Warren.

Did his parents know yet? Kirsty wasn't close to his family, but she felt she had a duty to inform them, if nothing else. She gagged again, spitting out saliva.

"Kirsty?" There was a knock on the toilet door. Adam. She didn't want him here. She just wanted to be left alone. She ignored him, sitting on the floor in silence and hoping he would go away. She should have known he would be persistent. "Kirsty? It's me. I just want to make sure you're alright."

She sighed. "I'm fine. Just go away."

The door opened slightly, and Kirsty cursed forgetting to lock it. She'd been so desperate to vomit she'd shut the door but not locked it. Adam stepped into the toilet, took one look at the bowl of sick and closed the door behind him. He sat down next to Kirsty, pulling her into a hug. She sobbed into Adam's chest, the tears flowing almost from the instant her face connected with his shirt.

"Shh, it's alright," Adam soothed, one hand making calming circles on her back and the other holding her hand tightly. He rested his head on hers, her curly hair tickling his chin. Kirsty clung tightly to him, not wanting to go anywhere else. She would have been perfectly happy to remain in Adam's arms, his strong, supportive arms, all day. At least there she didn't have to think, and thinking was what hurt the most. Thinking what might have been, and what was now going to be.

The embrace was broken by the sound of Adam's pager going off. He checked it, frowned, then stood up, helping Kirsty to her feet. "Jordan needs me in resus. I've got to go. Come with me, and Elliot can take you home. I'll come and visit you when my shift's over."

"No." Kirsty grabbed Adam around the neck and pulled his head towards hers, forcing her mouth onto his. She backed him up against the door, wrapping one leg around his to render him immobile, and used her other hand to lock the door. Once the door was locked, she moved her hand to Adam's waistband, fumbling at his belt. Adam resisted, pushing her off.

"Stop." He grabbed her by both hands and brought them to her chest. "This isn't right. I can't, I'm sorry. Go home."

Tears poured down Kirsty's face as the realisation of what she had just done sank in. She shook, not being able to move. "I'm sorry."

Adam shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I've been leading you on, but you're married. If this is anyone's fault, it's mine."

"I'm not married anymore," Kirsty sobbed, falling against Adam's chest again. "He's dead. He's bloody dead, and I don't know what to do."


	6. Walk Away

_My laptop's being a bit temperamental today so it's only a short chapter. Here we get an insight into Adam's mind following the kiss. If I don't update as frequently from now on blame technology. My laptop's being suicidal and doesn't want me to write. Anyway, enjoy, and thanks for the reviews. They mean a lot. _

* * *

Adam ignored his pager the second time it went off, knowing he had to stay with Kirsty until he was convinced her mental state would allow him to leave her without him constantly worrying about her. He had expected some sort of strange reaction from her; she was never predictable, and the current circumstances meant she had the potential to be extremely unpredictable. He hadn't, though, expected her to start kissing him.

Sure, they'd kissed before, but they had both been drunk, and Adam had broken it off before it got too far. He had known it was wrong, even with the alcohol influence. This time, though, wrong didn't even begin to cover it. Warren was barely dead, and already she was beginning to move onto someone else.

Adam knew Warren and Kirsty's relationship wasn't – _hadn't been_ – the most conventional. He knew he had battered and bruised his wife; the previous evening had shown outstanding evidence of that. But he also knew that the pretty young nurse had been desperate for an escape before, and hadn't because of her love for her daughter. He hadn't asked outright, and doubted he ever would, but his gut feeling told him Kirsty had only stayed in the relationship for Nita's sake.

But Adam had been the one she had sought out for comfort and safety the previous evening, even after their drunken kiss. He had thought that moment had blown his friendship with her, but it seemed he had been mistaken. Though there was a fine line between comfort and what it had turned into in the toilet, and he didn't want that to be breached again.

He knew Kirsty had only kissed him out of confusion and grief. Her marriage had been loveless, at least that was how it seemed, and the close relationship she had with Adam had allowed things to turn into something more between them. He most definitely hadn't planned it; what had happened with Jessica had taught him married women were nothing but trouble, and he wasn't ready for another relationship. He was just a natural flirt, and it seemed Kirsty had just misread the signals.

Not that he didn't fancy her. She was attractive, maybe not in the conventional blonde hair and big boobs kind of way, but her personality combined with her looks made her the first woman since Jessica he had kissed and did actually like, rather than just being a convenient shag on a drunken night out.

In fact, he didn't want Kirsty to be just another drunken shag. He saw her as much more than the young girls who went out in low-cut tops and skirts that were practically belts every night, gagging for male attention. They were ten a penny, but Kirsty was special. He respected her, he liked her – she was certainly the closest friend he had in the ED.

But friends was where it was going to remain. Adam knew he couldn't start anything with Kirsty, at least, not now. She was in too much of a fragile state, and all he usually ended up doing was hurting everyone he fell for. Alice, Jessica...the list could stretch back further than he could remember if he really put his mind to it. No. He had to be there for Kirsty, but be a friend. He couldn't be anything more. Not now, at any rate.


	7. Peel Out

One arm wrapped around Kirsty, Adam led her out of the toilet and back into the ED. All eyes seemed to be on them, but Adam didn't reply to any remarks, and Kirsty was too upset to even think about speaking to her colleagues.

Elliot and Nita were sitting on the waiting room chairs, the teenager eating a sandwich that looked as though it had come from the vending machine just down the corridor. She stood up when Kirsty approached, and threw her arms around her.

"Mum! Where did you go? You scared me, running off like that."

"Didn't feel well," Kirsty mumbled, averting eye contact. She couldn't tell Nita what had just happened between her and Adam. There was no way she'd ever let her find out about that.

"How about we all go outside and let your mum get some air, yeah?" Adam suggested.

Nita nodded, leading the way while munching on the remainder of her sandwich. She tossed the wrapper in the bin by the door.

The car park was busy, surprisingly warm for the time of year. There was a bank on the far side of the car park which was covered in grass and not much else, and it was there which was the group's destination. Kirsty sat down as soon as they reached it, head resting on her knees. Adam sat on one side of her and Nita on the other, with Elliot sprawled out in front.

"I've messed up," Kirsty said quietly. "Adam, you can go. I'm sorry. I didn't want it to get like this."

"What happened?" Nita asked, slipping her hand into Kirsty's.

Kirsty shook her head. "Nothing for you to worry about. Let's go home."

"Our home? Or Elliot's? Or Adam's? Because we can go back to our home now, can't we? But it won't be the same without Dad." Tears rolled down Nita's cheeks. "You keep scaring me, and I don't like it. I don't want to lose you as well. I can't."

Kirsty held Nita close, the two females sobbing arm in arm. She hadn't realised quite how her actions had affected her daughter; she'd been too preoccupied with dealing with her own grief to even think about how Nita was handling it. She had been close to Warren; closer to him than Kirsty had been over the past few months at least. The day's events must have hit her hard.

"How about I take you back to mine tonight?" Elliot offered. "All your stuff's there, it makes sense. And then Adam can come over when he's finished work." He shot the other man a glance, and Adam nodded in reply. "We'll just take things one day at a time for now, yeah?"

"Yeah," Kirsty said quietly. "I don't think I can go home, anyway. Not at the moment. It reminds me too much of what happened." She was referring both to the abuse and Warren's death, but she neither knew nor cared whether he understood that. She reached out one hand and touched Elliot's arm. "Thanks."

He took her hand in his. "We were best friends, and I'd like to think we still have something like that, even after all these years. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere until you and Nita are both alright."

Kirsty smiled, resting her head on their interlinked hands. "You're too nice to me, you know that, Bartlet?"

Elliot laughed. "I think I might have to sort that out. Can't be having that."

"You know what?" Kirsty told him, squeezing his hand tightly.

"What?"

"I think with you and Adam around, me and Nita might just be alright."

* * *

_Aww, everything seems much more happy happy now. But will it last? I'm just in the process of working out the ending for the story, but I'll take a vote on the two possibilities I'm weighing up. Happy or dramatic? I'm putting it out to you, the reader, to decide. :) _


	8. Keep Holding On

_Wow. This has now got the most reviews of any of my stories on here, and it's all down to you guys. I'm glad you're all enjoying it (well, I haven't had any responses to say you're not!) Only a short chapter today as my laptop refused to work yesterday. Bring on Christmas, as I've been promised a new one. Anyway, enjoy._

* * *

Elliot drove Kirsty and Nita back to his house, stopping on the way to pick up a takeaway. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and he supposed Kirsty hadn't either. The darkness of evening was beginning to settle in, and he didn't feel like cooking any more. He was a pretty good chef; he always had been. He recalled how competitive he and Kirsty used to be in Food Technology lessons, always aiming to better each other in what they cooked. He missed those days.

The trio sat on the sofa, watching _Chicken Run _on Elliot's TV while tucking into their pizza. Although he'd never admit it openly, it was one of his favourite films. He told everyone he only owned it for his two young nephews to watch when they visited. That was only half the truth. Luke and Billy weren't really old enough to fully appreciate how good it was.

It seemed as though Kirsty and Nita enjoyed the film, though, or maybe it was just because it distracted them from the state of their lives at the moment. Kirsty's assault followed by Warren's untimely death seemed to have shaken them up no end, and he could completely understand why. Still, at least he and Adam were there to support them. He cared for Kirsty; he always had, and he was glad they had been reunited again. Of course, he would have preferred happier circumstances.

The doorbell rang just as the end credits began to roll, and Elliot got up. He hoped it was Adam; he had scribbled down his address on the back of a receipt for him, and if he was honest he couldn't handle any other visitors at this moment in time. Even if it was his sister showing up with the boys, he would turn them away just to be with Kirsty and Nita.

He opened the door, and thankfully it was Adam, standing on the doorstep with a supermarket carrier bag.

"I've pulled up over your drive, I hope you don't mind."

"It's fine. I'm not going out any time soon. Come on through."

Elliot led Adam through to the living room. Kirsty and Nita were on the sofa, neither having bothered to turn the TV off. Elliot did so as he sat back down.

"How're you doing?" Adam asked, taking a seat in the armchair.

Kirsty shrugged. "The pain comes and goes. When it hurts, I remember what he did to me, and I hate him. When it goes, I just remember him, and all the good times we used to have."

Nita stared at her. "I don't think that's what Adam meant."

Another shrug. Elliot didn't like how she kept using body language to convey her feelings, but at least now she was speaking as well. That had to be progress, at any rate. He hated seeing her in this state; he remembered her as a bubbly, outgoing child, and now she seemed to have withdrawn into herself. That couldn't be healthy.

"What else am I supposed to say? I can't say I'm alright because I'm not. Last night, I would have given anything not to be able to see Warren again, but I would never have wanted this. I don't know if I can deal with it."

"You can, Mum. You dealt with Dad hurting you for ages. I wouldn't have even guessed if I hadn't seen it last night. That makes you a strong person. You've got to keep being strong."

Kirsty nodded. "I guess so. I don't know what I'd do without you, Nita." She put an arm around her, holding her close. "You mean everything to me. I'm sorry you've had to deal with all this. Somehow, I'm going to make everything alright for you again."

Elliot watched as mother and daughter talked, knowing without doubt that if the Kirsty that was sitting next to him was the same as the Kirsty he knew at school, she would most definitely find a way. That was almost a certainty.


	9. Sweet Dreams

_A/N: Weekend means writing time, right? Sorry for the shorter chapters recently, this one's longer to make up for it._

* * *

Kirsty stayed up all evening talking with Adam and Elliot until she felt her eyelids droop. She blinked twice, trying to force herself to stay awake, and took a swig of a glass of water. Nita had already gone to bed, Elliot letting her sleep in his double bed for the night.

Elliot noticed, and touched her arm. "If you want to go to sleep, it's fine."

Kirsty shook her head. "I don't want to sleep. When I sleep, I dream. If I dream, I'll remember."

"You'll need to sleep at some point," Adam reminded her. "You know what happened last time."

As if she could forget collapsing at work and trying to hide it from Tess. That was one more thing she didn't really want to remember. But it had brought her and Adam closer together, and the conversation they'd had about it the next day had resulted in her coming up with the biggest load of crap she'd ever spouted to someone. She hadn't even planned out her lies, she'd just started talking and they kept coming. The irony was that Adam was the only person she could have told the truth to. If she'd spoken up then, maybe none of this would have happened.

"Fine," Kirsty relented. She stood up and stretched out, stumbling forward as her eyesight blurred. She hadn't been drinking, but this was definite light-headedness. She would put it down to dehydration and a lack of food, if either Adam or Elliot questioned it later on.

She changed into a baggy t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms to sleep in. She had pyjamas, but she wasn't going to wear them. They were skimpy shorts and a vest top that Warren had bought for her. They showed off her bruises too much for her liking, and she didn't want Elliot quizzing her over them. Adam had already seen them, but she trusted he wouldn't say anything.

Nita was curled up in one corner of the bed, the duvet pulled tightly around her and her hands gripping it tightly. Kirsty settled down beside her, gently tugging to get some warmth but trying not to disturb her daughter at the same time. Her eyes fell shut despite her forced attempts to keep them open.

_Kirsty looked up to see Warren standing over her, a tray of food in hand. _

"_Happy birthday, darling," he told her, giving her a peck on the cheek as she sat up in bed._

"_Tha-thanks." Kirsty smiled, taking the tray from him and tucking in. "Is Nita still asleep?"_

_Warren shook his head. "She's watching the children's channel." He sat down beside Kirsty. "I've taken the day off work; we'll head out for a drive when you've eaten."_

"_Mummy!" Four year old Nita ran into the room and scrambled onto the bed, nearly tipping the tray of food everywhere. "Happy birthday!"_

_Kirsty kissed her daughter, burying her face in the little girl's tangled mop of hair. _

_She looked up to see Warren standing over her, a tray of food in hand. _

"_Happy birthday, darling," he told her, spilling the boiling hot cup of coffee over her stomach. "You're going to have to take the day off work today. I want to spend it with you."_

Kirsty screamed.

She sat up in bed, breathing heavily. She knew going to sleep was a bad idea, but she'd let Elliot and Adam persuade her. Now she'd woken Nita up.

"Mum?" the teenager asked quietly, sitting up. "Are you alright?"

"I just had a bad dream, that's all," Kirsty told her, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm fine, it just scared me."

"I had a bad dream as well," Nita explained, tears rolling down her face. "I dreamed that Dad was hitting you again, but I didn't come downstairs until the morning, and by then you were dead."

Kirsty held Nita tightly, knowing calming her daughter was a priority over dealing with her own nightmare. She ran her hand through Nita's tangled hair, whispering calming words into her ear until she fell asleep again in Kirsty's arms. They stayed in that position all night, Kirsty dropping in and out of sleep but thankfully not suffering any more dreams.

The alarm on Nita's mobile phone woke them both up at seven that morning. Kirsty cursed forgetting to remind her to take it off; she knew Nita had it set to go off at the same time every morning for school. The only reason it hadn't woken them yesterday was the fact that Nita's phone had been back at their house.

Nita rolled over and turned it off. She got out of bed and sat on the edge, checking her messages.

"You don't have to get up right now," Kirsty told her. "Your school still think you're sick."

Nita shook her head, her dark hair falling down her back. "I want to go in. I need to do something. I need to be normal."

Kirsty nodded, understanding completely where her daughter was coming from. "Fine. Just let me come with you, I'll speak to your teacher."

"What, and have them all feeling sorry for me? That's not going to make things normal. I'm just going to be the kid everyone doesn't want to talk to because they don't know what to say to me."

Kirsty ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. "Ok. But I'm not happy about this. Just go to the office as soon as you get to school and give them my new mobile number, just in case they need to get hold of me."

"They won't. I'll be fine, Mum. I promise."

"Please. Just do that, and I'll be a lot happier."

"Fine, fine, whatever." Nita stood up and walked over to the suitcase at the end of the bed. She rummaged through it to find her school uniform. "I'm going to take a shower, I'll see you downstairs."

Kirsty went down to the kitchen and found Elliot asleep on the sofa. There was a note stuck to the fridge with a magnet, written in Adam's familiar scrawl.

**Had to go to work. Be back later. Take care, and call me if you need to. A**

That was typical Adam, disappearing without warning. Though Kirsty supposed she couldn't really talk, after the amount of times she'd left work and had to get someone to cover for her. She opened the fridge and took out the milk, putting the kettle on while making herself a bowl of cereal.

Elliot groaned from the sofa. "Morning, Kirst."

Kirsty turned around. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Nah, it's fine. I didn't expect you to be up this early."

"Nita's alarm went off. She's going to school today."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Kirsty shrugged. "I did try and talk her out of it, but she seems adamant. I can't exactly ground her from going to school."

Nita appeared in the kitchen, dressed in a white shirt and black pleated skirt. A dark red jumper was slung over her shoulder, and she had black trainers on over her black tights. "I can't find my tie."

"Maybe you left it at home. You'll just have to borrow one from lost property today; I'm not taking you back to get it."

Nita glared at her. "Do you deliberately want me to get bullied today? Nobody goes to lost property unless you're a complete loser."

"What's your tie like?" Elliot asked, standing up.

"Red and black stripes."

"Right, you eat your breakfast and I'll see if I can find you a tie." He headed upstairs, leaving Nita and Kirsty in the kitchen.

They ate in silence until Elliot returned, a red and black tie knotted around his head like a bandana. "How's this for you?"

A smile crept across Nita's face. "That's brilliant. Where did you get it from?"

"Got it for a school disco party last year. Picked it up from one of the charity shops down town." Elliot took it off and tossed it to Nita. "I'm not going to need it any more, it's been sitting in my room gathering dust. You might as well have it."

"Thanks." Nita knotted it round her neck, tucking it down her shirt so it didn't get into her cereal.

When they'd both finished eating, Kirsty cleared away the table. "You'd better get yourself off to school. I don't want you being late when it's just around the corner."


	10. Tightrope

Nita hadn't got a lot of her school stuff with her, so Elliot provided her with a couple of pens and a notebook for the day. Most of her textbooks were in her locker, and luckily it was a combination lock rather than a key, so her not having her keys wasn't a problem.

Kirsty wrote down her new mobile number on a scrap of paper as well as ensuring Nita had plugged it into her phone before she let her daughter leave the house. She stood on the doorstep watching her until she disappeared out of view.

"She'll be alright," Elliot told Kirsty, coming up behind her and putting one hand on her shoulder. "She's a tough kid."

"She's had a hard couple of days. I don't know if she's that strong. We both know how tough school can be. All it takes is for one kid to say something." Kirsty turned and shut the door. "I don't know what to do. I know things have to get back to normal, but I don't know how."

She walked through into the lounge and sat down on the sofa, head in her hands. "I'm just worried about her. Two days ago she didn't have any idea Warren hit me. Now he's dead. It's a lot for her to deal with." Pulling her knees up to her chin, she curled onto the sofa. The lack of sleep she had got the past couple of nights caused her to shut her eyes, falling easily into a dreamlike state.

It wasn't until there was a tap on her shoulder that she roused, rolling over and hitting her head on the wall. She rubbed it, sitting up and blinking sleep out of her eyes. "Ni-Nita? What time is it?"

"It's half three, Mum. I've been at school all day. Don't tell me you've been sleeping the whole time."

Kirsty felt her cheeks warm up as she shook her head. "Of course not. I just had a nap, that's all."

"So that's why you're still in your pyjamas, is it?" Nita perched on the arm of the sofa.

"How was your day?" Kirsty asked, changing the subject. "Have you got much homework?"

"I always have homework," Nita told her, bending down to pick her bag from the floor. "Can you help me with my science later? It's biology; you've got to be good at that, you're a nurse."

Kirsty nodded. "Yeah, I'll give you a hand." She stood up, easing out the cramps in her arms. The sofa wasn't the most comfortable place to be sleeping, though she'd experienced worse. She headed into the kitchen, a sudden craving for ice cream. Elliot had told her she could help herself to any food she wanted, and it seemed that was the only thing that would satisfy her hunger.

She sat on the sofa, feet curled up under a cushion to keep them warm and the TV on while she spooned ice cream straight from the tub. She didn't pay much attention to the TV though; conversation with Nita was the main focus. The teenager had got her maths book out and was sitting cross-legged on the end of the sofa, resting the book on her lap and talking Kirsty through what she couldn't do.

"It's parents evening tomorrow," Nita announced suddenly.

"Really?" Kirsty stared down at the ice cream, scraping the remnants from the edge of the tub.

"Yeah, and you've got to go. I'll get a detention if nobody turns up for me. You can't sleep all day again."

Kirsty nodded. "I don't know if I can."

Nita sat up straight. "You've got to go! It's not as if Dad can anymore, is it?" She threw her maths book to the floor and ran out of the room, shouting "You're so selfish!" as she slammed the door behind her.

Kirsty's hands shook, dropping the ice cream tub to the floor. Nita had never got so angry over such trivial matters before. She seemed to be turning into Warren before Kirsty's very eyes, and she was scared. She could deal with abuse from her husband; she'd put up with it for Nita's sake. But when the very person she'd suffered to protect seemed to be turning on her as well, she didn't know what to do. Nita was only fourteen; she was hormonal and confused, but also very vulnerable. Kirsty knew she could quite easily fall in with the wrong crowd and turn violent towards her, and the thought petrified her.

Elliot came into the room, a cup of coffee in hand. "What's up with Nita?" he asked, sitting down next to Kirsty.

"It's her parent's evening tomorrow," Kirsty explained in a broken voice. "I'd completely forgotten about it. How can I go? She doesn't want people to know about Warren, but I know as soon as someone says something about him I'll break down. She'll be known as the girl with a freaky mum, and I can't put her through that."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"What, and have people wonder why I'm with a different man? That could be even worse."

"I'll pretend I'm your brother or something. You can't let her down."

Kirsty nodded. "I know. But it's just not that easy."

Elliot squeezed her hand. "Life's not easy. But the more we push ourselves, the easier it becomes."

"Until we push ourselves over the edge. What happens then?"

Elliot shook his head. "I don't know. You've just got to go and find Nita, and tell her you'll be going to her parents evening tomorrow. Then you've actually got to go. You'll be able to cope, Kirst. I know you will."

"Alright," Kirsty agreed, unconvinced. "But if it all goes wrong, I'm blaming you completely."


	11. Without You

_Two chapters in a day? Wow, I'm nice to you today. Main reason being I don't know how long my laptop will last out on me so I want to post as soon as I finish a chapter, really. More Adam in this one, too. _

* * *

Kirsty and Nita made up over dinner that night. Kirsty knew her daughter wasn't one to harbour a grudge for long, especially now she was all she had, but even so, the way she had got so angry so suddenly had stung.

Adam came round again that evening with tales of the day's events at the hospital. According to Big Mac, Ruth's husband was gay and had been seen kissing another man in a cupboard, but Kirsty very much doubted the truth in the situation. Big Mac was known to exaggerate things, and she would confidently bet on him having made the rumour up to let Jay think Ruth was available again.

Kirsty and Nita spent the night in Elliot's bed again. She felt bad about relegating him to the sofa for a second successive night, but he had insisted he was alright. It was a troubled sleep once more, with both mother and daughter tossing and turning throughout. Nita's alarm roused Kirsty from the middle of yet another nightmare.

She sat up, almost in shock as her clammy hands ran through her tangled curly hair. While Nita was in school, Kirsty scrubbed up the best she had since fleeing home, washing her hair and dressing in the smartest clothes she could find. She hadn't got a lot with her, but when she took a look at herself in the mirror, she was satisfied with how she looked.

"Wow." Adam's jaw dropped as she went into the kitchen. "What's the occasion?"

"Never mind that, what are you doing in Elliot's kitchen? You should be at work."

Adam laughed, shaking his head. "It's my day off, and I chose to spend it here."

"It's Thursday already?" Kirsty was shocked by how easily she had lost track of time.

"Uh-huh. So where are you off to?"

"It's Nita's school's parents' evening."

Adam checked his watch. "It's half past ten. I've never been to one, but I'd guess from the name parents' evenings don't start until the evening."

Kirsty looked at the carpet, shuffling her feet like a schoolgirl who had just been reprimanded for bad behaviour. "I didn't know what else to do," she said quietly. "How can I go on as if everything's normal when it's not?"

Adam took her by the hand. "Come with me." Practically dragging her to the front door, he called out to Elliot. "We're just popping out, see you later."

"Where are we going?" Kirsty asked as she got into the passenger seat of Adam's car.

Adam held a finger to his lips. "It's a surprise." He began to drive, eventually pulling up at Cemetery Junction. Kirsty shook her head in disbelief as he opened the car door. Surely he couldn't be taking her to the cemetery? That was just sick.

"Adam, I don't-"

"Shh." Adam took Kirsty by the hand and led her into the cemetery. He stopped by a tiny grave and crouched down. "Harry," he whispered, touching the gravestone with his hand.

Kirsty crouched down beside him, straining to read the lettering on the stone. Harry Trueman. The dates of birth and death gave away what Kirsty was suspecting. "He's your son?"

Adam nodded. "I had to decide whether to save him or Jessica. I let my son die, because I couldn't let two children go on without their mother."

"Jessica?" Kirsty asked. Adam had never mentioned a partner; he'd given off every indication he was single.

"She left me. Took Lucas and Amelia and went to America. I reminded her too much of Harry."

"I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"Why would you? This happened before I knew you. You had no reason to know."

"So why are you telling me now?"

Adam turned to face her, tears pouring freely. "Because you understand. You'll do anything for your daughter, including sacrificing your own happiness. I would have done – will do – anything for Lucas and Amelia. I couldn't let them go on without Jess. It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make, and at times I miss him so much. He was such a character, he was beautiful. And I killed him."

Kirsty shook her head. "No you didn't. You saved Jessica's life, though. You stopped two kids having to grow up without their mum, and though they might not say it now, they will thank you for it when they're older." She put an arm around Adam, not quite understanding how or why the role reversal had taken place but thankful that he had confided in her. "Don't blame yourself for this. It wasn't your fault. You're a good man, Adam Trueman, and you've saved so many lives. He's in a better place."

Adam nodded, sobbing into Kirsty's shoulder. Then, quite unexpectedly, he looked up. "I think I love you," he said quietly, pressing a gentle kiss onto her lips.

Startled by the sudden move, Kirsty's gut reaction was to pull away. After all, only two days ago he had told her how wrong it was for her to be kissing him. But Adam's touch was so soft and gentle, and she had wanted this for so long, her body did the only thing it would let her do. She returned the kiss.


	12. For Reasons Unknown

_Thanks for all the positive responses to the last chapter. I wasn't sure if the kiss was too soon, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Now, let's look at things from Nita's perspective._

_

* * *

_

Nita waited outside school, her bag clutched tight against her chest to protect her from the chilly wind. She shivered, thinking maybe it would have been a better idea to have waited inside. Where was her mum? She'd promised she'd come to parents' evening, and the last thing Nita wanted was having to concoct a lie to cover for her. The teachers had grown wise to the _she's been held up at work_ excuse, and would insist on speaking to the parent concerned every time a student cited that reason.

She'd already managed to come up with a rather good lie to explain why Warren wasn't there. She'd told her teacher that he was having to wait in to get the boiler fixed, and couldn't leave the house until it was done. There was no way she was going to admit the truth of the situation.

Nita dialled Kirsty's number. It rang out, and she left an angry message. "Mum, it's parents' evening. Where are you? You promised you'd come." She hung up and kicked out at the brick wall. Everyone else was walking in with mums and dads, chatting and laughing as if nothing was wrong in the world. She was sure they were looking at her, wondering who the freak was that had come to a parents' evening without any parents. Half of her wanted to scream out the truth; _my dad's dead and I don't know where my mum is because she's not answering her fucking phone. _Instead she just sat down on the cold tarmac, back against the wall and hugging her bag to her knees.

"Nita!" She looked up to the sound of her name and saw Kirsty running across the pavement. "Nita, darling, I'm so sorry I'm late. Traffic was a nightmare, and Adam couldn't find anywhere to park."

Nita frowned. "What about Elliot's house?" She stood up. "Let's just go inside, yeah? We've probably missed half the appointments anyway by now."

Kirsty tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she followed Nita into the school. The teenager lead the way into the busy hall and over to her English teacher, Mrs Ryan.

"Ah, Nita." Mrs Ryan checked her list. "Sit down." She reached out and shook Kirsty's hand. "Good to meet you, Mrs Clements."

Kirsty took the proffered hand and sat down. "How is she doing?"

"Well, Nita's an exemplary student. Her work has all been A and A* grade, and you should be very proud of her."

Nita beamed. "See, Mum? Told you I was good at English."

"Oh, you're definitely good. I know it's a long way off but you'd be fine to take it to A Level. Even a degree, you're talented at it."

Nita's smile widened. This was the parents' evening she had been hoping for.

"But there is one thing," Mrs Ryan continued.

Nita picked at her fingernail, not sure quite what her teacher was getting at. This wasn't what she wanted.

"What's that?" Kirsty asked.

"Forgive me for being intrusive, but as her form tutor, it's me all the other teachers speak to if they've noticed problems."

"And?"

Nita, too, was unsure where this was going, but she didn't like it. She shuffled awkwardly in her chair, hoping her teacher would hurry up and say it.

"Her PE teacher has noticed quite a lot of bruising on her back."

Nita gulped. No. She'd been so careful to hide it from her mum, from everyone. If her teacher had seen it, did that mean her classmates had? How many of them were talking about her behind her back? Did they suspect the truth? She couldn't cope with it any more. She pushed back the chair and ran.


	13. When It Rains

_So, after that dramatic revalation, what's next for Kirsty and Nita? Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this story, there's only a few more chapters to go now, and don't forget that reviews are always welcome. :) I've just realised I've not yet put a disclaimer on the story, so basically anyone you recognise from the show belongs to the BBC, and anyone you don't is mine. _

* * *

Kirsty couldn't move from her seat. Nita had fled, but as much as she wanted to go after her, she needed to know more from the teacher.

"Ho-how long ago?"

Mrs Ryan shook her head. "Only since the start of term, but then that's only how long I've been her form tutor for. If anything had been noticed before, I wouldn't have been told."

Kirsty nodded, taking it all in. It couldn't be possible. Warren wouldn't have started beating his daughter as well, would he? How hadn't she noticed before? Nita had said that he wasn't. Actually, now that Kirsty thought about it, she hadn't. Her exact words had been _you knew he'd never hurt me_. Kirsty had indeed known, or at least presumed, Warren hadn't started hurting Nita. For some reason, if he had been violent, Nita was trying to cover it up. Why?

"I- I think I need to go and find her."

"Alright. I'm really sorry, Mrs Clements." Mrs Ryan shook Kirsty's hand before the nurse walked off hurriedly.

Kirsty left the hall, looking up and down the corridor to try and work out where Nita had gone. She took out her mobile and dialled her daughter's number, but it went straight to voicemail. She'd obviously turned it off so she couldn't be found. Great.

Her second thought was to call Adam. He was parked not far from the school, and maybe Nita had walked past him. But she didn't get to as she heard a faint sob coming from the disabled toilet. Kirsty tapped lightly on the door.

"Hello? Are you alright in there?"

"G'way."

_Nita. _Kirsty recognised her daughter's voice, and peered through the keyhole. "Nita, darling. Please, open the door."

"Why? S'not as if you care."

"Of course I do. I'm your mum, I care about you more than you ever know."

"Then why did you leave me with him? You knew what he was like."

"Open the door and we'll talk. I promise, we can talk about anything. I just want to see that you're alright."

The door opened slightly and Kirsty entered. Nita was slumped on the floor, her back against the wall and her eyes raw with tears. Seeing her daughter in such a traumatised state, Kirsty's heart felt as though it had been torn from her body. She sat down next to the youngster and put an arm around her, shutting the door and locking it once more.

"Can I see?" Kirsty asked quietly.

Nita leant forward and pulled her shirt and jumper off in one swift movement. She sat in just her bra, head bowed so Kirsty could see the extent of her injuries. Bruises of varying shades covered the teenager's back, and there were red marks, some of which had scabbed over.

"Was it-"

Kirsty didn't need to finish the sentence. Nita simply nodded.

"Oh, sweetheart." Kirsty pulled her daughter close, allowing her to sob against her chest until she had no more tears left to cry. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't. I was scared he'd hurt me even more. He said it was because I was bad, because I was doing bad in class. It's not my fault I struggle in science, but you weren't there to help me. You were too busy working. And when he saw my book, and saw the bad comments, he hit me across the back with his belt. I didn't know he was hitting you as well. I thought it was just him trying to make me work harder. I never told you because I didn't want him to hurt you too."

Kirsty's stomach turned as she thought about what her daughter had suffered. Yet she had seemed so close to Warren. Maybe that was it, though. Maybe the abuse had driven her apart from Kirsty because if Warren saw they were distant he wouldn't have suspected Nita of telling. How had her young daughter managed to put up with so much hate from someone who was supposed to love her?

Kirsty leaned forward and threw up into the toilet.


	14. Bones

_So it's been a couple of days since I've updated. I found myself at a real hospital yesterday, as my friend had a rash she thought might have been meningitis (it wasn't, she's fine.) Completely different in Bournemouth A+E to Holby A+E, I can vouch for that. _

_

* * *

_

Kirsty eventually lead a shaking Nita out of the school and to Adam's car. He was sitting with the window down, playing music and tapping out the beat on his steering wheel. Kirsty opened the rear door and let Nita in before sitting in the front passenger seat.

"That was quick," Adam told her. "How'd it go?"

"She's a whizz at English. Can you just drive us back to Elliot's, please?"

Adam nodded, starting the engine. It was only a couple of streets away, but Kirsty had planned on picking up a takeaway on the way home, which was why she had told Adam to wait. Now she was using the car for a different reason. She'd phone up the school tomorrow and say she'd had a family emergency or something. She knew she couldn't continue with the evening, not after seeing Nita.

"How was your day, Nita?" Adam asked as he pulled up in Elliot's front drive alongside his car.

Nita shrugged, opening the car door. "I don't want to talk about it."

Adam looked to Kirsty. "What's up with her?" he mouthed.

Kirsty shook her head. "Tell you later." Whether she would or not was a different matter. It was just easier to appease Adam that way. She got out of the car and followed Nita into the house.

Elliot was in the kitchen, making a curry. "You've decided to come back then, I see."

"Don't start." Kirsty flopped down on the sofa. "Have you got any drink?"

"There's a bottle of coke next to the toaster, or there's orange juice in the fridge."

"I mean alcohol."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Kirst."

"I need a nice stiff one after the day I've had."

"Oh really?" Adam entered the room and put his hands on Kirsty's shoulders, gently massaging them. "I'm sure there'd be plenty of guys happy to help you out with that."

Kirsty turned slightly and slapped him gently. "Oh, shut up, you. I was talking about drinks."

"Should you be drinking?"

Kirsty glared up at him. "It feels like I'm living with my parents again with you two around. _Stay off the alcohol Kirsty, it won't do you any good getting wasted. _I can look after myself, you know."

Elliot called out from next to the cooker. "Yeah, but can you look after Nita? I don't know what happened today, but she needs you, and you being drunk won't help her.

Kirsty shrugged. "Yes, Mummy. I'm not stupid."

"Where did you get to today, anyway?"

"Me and Adam...went out." Kirsty decided against telling Elliot everything.

"_Oh, well we went to the cemetery and then we kissed and ended up going back to his where I actually wanted to have sex with him but we didn't, we just cuddled and kissed and talked and decided that we were going to have to try and keep our relationship a secret even though we both wanted it, because everyone would judge me because Warren's just died. Then we raced through the streets to get to Nita's school on time where I found out Warren had been beating her as well, and I'm a bad mother for not noticing anything was wrong before. Yeah, that was my day."_

Nita entered the room, having changed from her school uniform into baggy joggers and a hoody. Kirsty could see she had tried to disguise her blotchy eyes with make-up. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she thought about it, her daughter practically lived in jumpers. She wasn't the type to wear short skirts or low cut tops, and it all suddenly made sense. She was wearing the clothes to cover up her injuries, so nobody would see. So Kirsty wouldn't see.

"We've got curry for dinner, so I hope you're hungry," Elliot told her.

"I feel too sick to eat. I think I might be coming down with something."

Kirsty reached out a hand to her. "You need to eat something, darling. It'll make you feel better."

Nita sat down next to her. "How can I? I can't stop thinking about it, it makes me feel sick. I'm glad he's dead, Mum. At least then he can't hurt us anymore."

Kirsty wrapped her arm around Nita, holding her tight. She ignored Elliot and Adam's words of concern, instead hugging her daughter and whispering soothing words into her ear. "It's going to be alright," she promised. "Nobody's ever going to hurt you like that again. I promise."


	15. Lullaby

_Well, this is nearly it. There's only one more chapter to go after this. Whether or not I update it tomorrow depends on how long it takes me to get home. I've heard it's meant to be blizzards in London tomorrow, and I've got to cross it with a couple of suitcases. Fun times. Anyway, enjoy the penultimate chapter. :) _

* * *

Nita complained of a headache not long after dinner, and headed upstairs. Kirsty followed her up, standing in the bedroom doorway.

"Can I take a proper look at your back?"

Nita shook her head. "Mrs Ryan shouldn't have said anything. I just want to forget about it."

Kirsty put a gentle hand on Nita's arm. "You said to me the other day that he'd never hit you."

"I didn't want to make things worse." A tear rolled down Nita's cheek as she perched on the edge of the bed. "I thought it would upset you even more. Even with what he did to me, he's still my dad, and I miss him. I didn't want to tell you because I knew how you'd react. I knew you'd feel guilty for not realising, and not protecting me. I didn't want to tell you because you've got enough problems to deal with."

"Come here." Kirsty pulled a sobbing Nita close into a hug. "Yes, I've got a lot of problems right now, but you're my daughter and I'll always be there to listen to you and sort out your problems. Mine can wait; you're my priority, and you always will be."

Nita nodded. "Thanks," she said quietly through her tears. "Yo-you can look at my back if you want. It doesn't hurt, though."

"Alright." Kirsty released her hold to allow Nita to fully remove her top. She had bruises all over her back, some a strange colour where one had appeared to blend into another. There were a few red welts where the belt seemed to have broken the skin. Kirsty winced. She'd seen similar injuries on people at work, but for some reason it seemed a lot worse when they covered her own daughter's back.

She touched Nita's bare skin gently, her cold hand causing the teenager to flinch slightly. Kirsty rubbed her hands together to warm them up before touching again, leaning closer to take a good look at the injuries. None of them seemed particularly bad, and they would all heal, but it was the mental scars that Kirsty was more concerned about.

"How about I run you a warm bath? It'll help your back."

Nita nodded. She collected her pyjamas while Kirsty went into the bathroom and turned on the tap. She sat on the toilet seat lid, head in her hands. Did this make her a bad parent? The day had just been weird from start to finish, and she was looking forward to tomorrow. Surely it couldn't top the day she had just had?

Nita emerged in the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She dropped her pyjamas on the floor and shut the door behind her. "Don't look."

Kirsty shut her eyes and turned her head towards the wall. She heard a few splashes and the sound of Nita sitting down.

"Ok, you can open them."

Kirsty turned back. Nita was lying in the bath, bubbles covering her body. Her long hair was tied up in a bun to stop it getting wet.

"Do you want me to leave you to it?"

"No." There was panic in Nita's voice. "Stay, please."

"Alright." Kirsty adjusted her position on the toilet seat so she was more comfortable.

"What were you doing today?"

Kirsty frowned. "Sorry?"

"You and Adam. You were out all day, I could tell. What did you do?"

"We were just...talking."

"He's nice, you know." Nita sloshed some of her bubbles around in her hand, reaching out to touch Kirsty's face with them. "I know you're eventually going to find someone else that you love. I know you didn't really love Dad, at least not since you started at Holby. I just wanted to say, if you wanted to, you know, with Adam, I'm fine with it. I know he won't hurt you. I know he won't hurt _me_."

At that moment, Kirsty could have hugged Nita. Instead, she opted for the more diplomatic response. Two little words that meant so much more than could be expressed in a thousand.

"Thank you."


	16. The Best Thing

_So, this is it. The final chapter. Thanks to everyone who's stuck with the story throughout, and I hope you've all enjoyed it. You're all brilliant, much love, and enjoy the last chapter. Sophie x_

* * *

_Ten years later_

"Stop fidgeting, will you?" Kirsty told Nita as she zipped up the back of her dress. There were a couple of scars that remained from her teenage years where she had been hit with a belt buckle, but they had faded into insignificance so much so that you would only notice them if you knew where to look.

"I'm sorry, I just can't help it. I'm too excited."

"Right. There we are." Kirsty gave a gentle tug at the zip. "Sorted. Now, are you ready? There's only so long you can keep everyone waiting."

Nita laughed and held onto Kirsty's hand as they walked out of the room. Adam was waiting outside, two small children standing in front of them.

The eldest, seven year old Charlie, looked up at Nita. "You look nice," he told her, fiddling with his tie. He was obviously uncomfortable wearing it, but he wasn't allowed to take it off.

Four year old Emily held out a bunch of flowers. "For you." She beamed, her curly brown hair bobbing as she moved her head.

Nita took them. "Thanks. They're lovely."

"Are you ready?" Adam asked.

Nita nodded. "As I'll ever be."

Kirsty entered the main hall of the church and took her seat in the front row, nodding to the vicar. Nita's boyfriend – about to be her husband, she had to correct herself – was standing at the front. Elliot was next to her, and he squeezed her hand.

"She'll be fine," he whispered.

"I know." Kirsty wiped a tear with her finger. She hadn't imagined this day would ever come. Her oldest daughter marrying the man she had fallen in love with when she was just seventeen. The same age Kirsty had been when she met Warren. But she was adamant her daughter's life would not replicate hers.

Kirsty had made Nita promise to tell her if Jack ever hit her or messed with her head, and Nita had kept to that promise. In the seven years they had been together, not once had Nita mentioned any sign of violence, and they certainly seemed happy together. Outwardly they actually appeared an item, unlike Warren and Kirsty had in the last few years of their marriage.

Of course, now, she was with Adam.

They stood as the organ began to play. Nita was led down the aisle on Adam's arm, her younger half-siblings acting as bridesmaid and page boy.

The two children looked the spitting image of their father, and Kirsty was thankful for the day Nita had given her approval to her relationship with Adam. It had taken them almost a year to have the courage to publicly admit it, though, but it was as if Kirsty was a different person. She had eventually managed to regain trust in men, and with her increased confidence, Nita's grew as well.

It had taken time, with difficult days and even more difficult nights, but Adam had never let her go. He comforted her during the bad times and laughed with her during the good, never pushing her to go further than she was happy to.

All the troubles she had experienced with Warren could not be forgotten, but they were never replicated with Adam. Although she still had nightmares about him, Adam was understanding. He would hold her in the night while she wept, promising her that everything was going to be perfect one day.

That day, it seemed, had finally arrived.


End file.
